Civil society opposes IG Sindh removal

KARACHI: Representatives of civil society have written a letter to the federal government opposing the removal of Sindh Inspector General Police (IGP) AD Khawaja.

The letter says that Sindh government’s recommendation for removing AD Khawaja as provincial chief is contrary to the order of the Sindh High Court (SHC) which had directed the provincial government to not remove police officers before their tenure period ended.

The civil society sent the letter to the cabinet and the establishment division in Islamabad.

Barrister Faisal Siddiqui said that the Sindh government’s recommendation of removing AD Khawaja as the top police officer of the province was a violation of SHC orders. Uncalled-for transfers and reappointment of police officers are also against the law, he added.

It may be mentioned here that SHC had previously issued an order to not remove AD Khawaja from his post of Sindh IGP. On September 7, SHC had vetoed Sindh’s government’s order to remove Khawaja.

An SHC divisional bench had also restored the IGP’s powers of transferring and posting officers within the police department.

On April 3, the SHC had dismissed the provincial government’s decision to remove the Sindh police chief after a group of activists approached the SHC challenging his controversial removal.

The legal wrangling between civil rights activists and the Sindh government continued for over ten months and ended only with the court’s orders, but not without the ruling Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) remaining disgruntled with the verdict.

However, on October 28 the Sindh cabinet again approved the removal of AD Khawaja as IGP and his replacement with Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti.